Silver and Gold
by Denigoddess2001
Summary: Bella is insecure and only wants a future with Edward, but wants a second opinion independent of Alice. Seeking out a psychic, she finds out more that she thought possible, but must face some hard questions about what she will choose for her future.


DISCLAIMER: Stephanie Meyer and Summit own Twilight Saga. I didn't write this story for profit; only because I love a good Edward/ Bella romance. This story occurs during Eclipse before the battle with the Newborns. Enjoy.

Denigoddess2001

Silver and Gold

By: Denigoddess2001

Bella Swan needed a day away from work; any day away would do. After finishing the day from hell at Newton's and their annual clearance sale, she needed some respite from the hustle of retail. She wanted a weekend alone with Edward and to forget the stresses of the outside world. She imagined just the two of them walking in the sunlight in their special meadow filled with wild flowers.

The thought of his sweet, honey scent and sparkling skin brought a secret smile to Bella's lips. It also started her thoughts racing and her heart pounding as it always did whenever she thought of Edward. The feel of his cold, smooth lips against her warm flesh caused her skin to heat just with the thought of it.

"Ugh!" she cried in frustration. Even when Edward wasn't in the vicinity, he still had the ability to dazzle her into complete befuddlement.

She couldn't deny that it was, at best, an elusive daydream. It was a hollow ache in her heart knowing that she didn't dare dwell a nanosecond upon her most secret desire: an intimate relationship with Edward Cullen.

"Not in this lifetime, not as a human," she muttered in frustration when she turned on the water for her cold shower. She stepped into the icy spray, letting the frigid droplets pound away the sexual tension and frustration. Instead of the powerful stream washing away the unrequited desires, she wished it were Edward's strong, cold hands traveling over the course of her body, satisfying them.

Bella considered what to do with her evening since Edward was hunting with the Cullens. Bella let her thoughts drift absently while she washed her hair. After a few minutes in the shower, she stepped out and dried herself. Wrapped in a towel and knowing Charlie wouldn't be home until late, she decided to surf channels on the flat screen in the living room. While surfing, an idea flashed through her thoughts when she noticed the newspaper on the end table.

She briefly breezed through the pages checking out the headlines. A small framed ad in the classified caught her eye and she scanned it.

"What Is Your Wish?"

Do you desire the elusive and the unobtainable?  
Do you want command of your destiny?  
With the power of will, anything is possible!  
Call Eve Black at 555-1713 3120 Edison Avenue, Port Angeles, WA Walk-ins welcome.

"Hmmm," it sounded intriguing and more fun than watching a night of bad re-runs. It certainly beat sitting at home alone while her favorite vampires were out hunting. Bella knew that she would see Edward in just a few hours and had some time to kill. "Why not? I need some good entertainment."

Bella picked up the phone and placed the call. She talked with a man on the other end of the line who made all of the psychic's appointments. He said that Eve Black was unable to come to the phone and usually didn't take clients after 5PM.

"My son, let me talk to this one," Bella heard a contralto voice lilt in the background. "Hello, this is Eve Black. You wish to schedule a reading?"

"Uh, yeah, please," Bella answered, not sure how to answer. Now she wasn't so certain that this was such a great idea. "I can wait until tomorrow-"

"You have an interesting vibration," the throaty voice from the other end of the line urged her. "I want to examine it more closely. Please state your name again. I am sensing something strong."

_Okay, I'm game_, Bella thought. "Bella Swan."

"Your voice reveals a lot about you. It has a hint of the supernatural. You've seen magick haven't you, Bella?" the lilting voice pressed. "You feel trapped in your current life. Otherwise, you wouldn't have called me."

_If you count vampires, werewolves and whatever is out there,_ Bella thought wryly. "I don't know."

"Don't lie to me, Bella," Eve chided her. "I'm intrigued. Come by six o' clock and I'll do a personal reading for you for only fifty dollars."

"Fifty dollars?" she gulped, that was a forth of her paycheck from Newton's. Still, she was curious what Eve Black would say when she read her fortune. It just wasn't the same when Alice blurted out a vision and left no mystery to it. In that instant, Bella decided to get a second opinion. Fifty dollars seemed like a small amount to pay for an alternate glimpse of the future.

"I'll be there in forty-five minutes," Bella replied.

"And Ms. Swan?" asked Eve Black

"Yes?"

"Bring a personal possession with you, something of SENTIMENTAL value," Eve Black cleared her throat. "I'll need it for your reading."

Bella hung up the phone and finished dressing. Looking around her room, she looked for anything of sentimental value. Nothing really came to mind since she lived a Spartan existence by nature. Then, she saw the one item she held close to her heart. It was a framed photograph of Edward and her taken by Alice on Thanksgiving. The antique silver frame had been a gift from Edward, explaining that it had belonged to his grandmother. Inside the frame was one of Bella's favorite photos of Edward with his arms wrapped around her as he stood behind her, his cold check pressed to her flushed one. It was a rare picture that showed Edward smiling, no, beaming with joy as he held his Bella.

"Jackpot," Bella nodded, grabbing the picture and sticking it inside her jacket. Bella considered that memory one of her most precious treasures, almost as much as she cherished the gift given to her. She remembered how Edward had gently tilted her head and chastely pressed his lips to hers before presenting her with yet another expensive gift of the antique silver picture frame.

Hopping in the truck, Bella began the trek to Port Angeles. Within the hour, she made her way to an unassuming storefront flashing Eve Black's name in bright blue and pink neon lighting. Bella opened the gate to the dark little store, cautiously making her way into the dimly lit room. A young man with olive skin, dark hair and eyes greeted her. "Mom's in the back waiting for you. Follow me."

"Uh, thank you," Bella muttered, not knowing what to expect.

She followed Issac to the back of the store and then through a door into a back room and the strong scent of incense filled the air. In the middle of the room was a square table covered by a red vinyl tablecloth and in the middle of it sat a black velvet bag cinched with white cord.

"Go ahead and make yourself at home, Ms. Swan," Issac motioned to a folding chair on one side of the table. "If you need anything, just let me know."

"Thanks," Bella replied. The store and the decor were nothing like what she expected. She half-expected crystal balls and tarot stones. Instead, the walls were covered in brown paneling and the white vinyl tablecloth looked like something that would be used at a family picnic. Everything around her appeared plain and ordinary, not fitting her preconceived notions of a psychic's shop.

A sudden warmth and the smell of cocoa drifted across the room. Bella saw faded cotton curtains slightly rustle and still. Bella felt the warmth permeate through the leather of her jacket and she looked around to see if anyone had entered the room, but saw no one. The lights dimmed to darkness as candlelight appeared suddenly in the middle of the table where Bella hadn't recalled earlier seeing any candles. Native American drum music poured quietly into the room through unseen speakers. "Good evening, Ms. Swan."

Bella sharply turned to see a woman sitting at the table. Dressed in gray sweatshirt and her hair pulled back in a ponytail, she didn't strike Bella as the psychic type. She had to admit it; she was disappointed. Rather startled, she managed to speak. "Eve Black?"

"At your service," she smiled, motioning to the chair opposite of her. "Please, sit and have some tea."

For a few minutes, the two made small talk about school and the weather, but then Eve took the black velvet bag in her hands and gave it a good shape. Handing them to Bella, she took her hand and motioned for her to hold them tightly. "Concentrate on what you want most and keep that image in your mind. When you're ready, unwrap the cord from the bag and choose three stones."

Bella's eyes widened slightly. Again, something she hadn't been expecting. A melodic laugh filled the room. "You thought I was going to start chanting or read tarot?"

"Pretty much, yeah," Bella felt the blood rush to her cheek

"Bella, you need to get better at dealing with weird," Eve chuckled. She blew a stray tendril of her blue-black hair from her perfectly tanned face. "We'll see what we can do about that."

Without another word, Eve lit a smudge stick and and walked around the room, letting the scent of burning sage fill the small area. "We ask the four directions to come to here and bless us with your protection and wisdom. We seek your guidance and insight."

She returned to her seat, nodding toward the bag in Bella's hands. "Go ahead whenever you're ready."

Bella focused all of her mental energy upon the man she loved without hesitation or reservation, who made her dance instead of stumble. Edward Cullen filled her mind with ease.

"Draw your stones, Bella."

Bella drew the first stone, laying it on the table.

"Let me see your item of sentimental value," Eve said.

Bella hesitated, realizing that a picture of Edward in the wrong hands could lead to very bad ramifications. She looked at Eve with dark hair and eyes of copper and earth, waiting mutely as she laid the four stones from left to right, before picking up the second stone.

"Let's see what the spirit totems have to say," Eve raised her eyebrows as if she were astonished by the first stone. "Hmm, this first stone on the far left represents the past for you, Bella. It is the wolf nonetheless."

"What does that mean?" Bella asked carefully, studying the deep red stone with the outline of a bird embossed into and gilded to be a gold contrast to the stone's intense hue.

"Well, this is a very telling stone," Eve smiled. "You've picked the wolf which is a nocturnal creature and mates for life. Known for it's ingenuity and it's dedication to life, it always a team player but, considers family it's top priority. This stone represents your recent past, Bella."

"Oh," Bella gasped softly, thinking about the accuracy of Eve's assessment. She worried about Renee and her happiness and now she worried about Charlie and whether or not he'd survive his perpetual bachelorhood.

"This stone often shows up with one who is a team player by nature. Do you see how the stone is reversed, upside down?"

"Yes, I do," Bella leaned forward to study the polished red stone whose symbol lay face-down on the table.

"That means that you've been denying yourself of things you need and enjoy. You've been denying yourself love," Eve tapped the stone. "Wolf represents the the magic of your dreaming. You've been denying yourself the man of your dreams."

"More like he's been denying me," Bella muttered under her breath, thinking of all the times Edward had stopped her when he thought they were going too far and too fast.

"Let us move on to the center stone," Eve waved her hand over the middle stone. "It is the Thunderbird, also turned face-down. Almost universally, the Thunderbird is a symbol of power, Sacred command, acknowledged power, unbreakable will, transformation and evolution. He is considered the source, the end and master of nature who must be revered and pacified.

"Have patience, Bella. Right now, someone close to you is afraid of his or her power, but is learning to handle it. By the time his change is finished, he will have evolved into a new being ready for new challenges. Thunderbird is spirit. Once this person next to you lets things flow their natural course and opens his or her heart to love, barriers will fall. It will come when it is ready."

"Really?"

"Really," Eve chuckled. "This stone indicates that great love is in your life and some obstacles in your way that can be overcome if only you'll be patient."

"Any more patient and I'll be in retirement," Bella scoffed. "There is someone that I care but, it would be impossible for us. We're two completely different people."

"Thunderbird flies high and sees all from the proper perspective. Be patient and you will receive the depth of this love, Bella. I see it. Someday, you and your lover will be one body, mind and soul."

"I'll have to keep that in mind," Bella replied.

She watched in true fascination as Eve Black turned over the last stone. "This represents the final outcome. It is Bat. Bat is an influence in the world. Bat tells us that you have the ability to make your dreams reality. This means, Bella, that you can have what you want, but there is always a price. It represent the death of the old and rebirth of something new."

"What should I do?" She hated the quiver of fear that crept into her voice. A future without Edward was something Bella refused to contemplate.

"I think you already know, but, one more turn of a stone should give you some insight," Eve's slender fingers slowly turned over the final stone. It was the Raven.

"Interesting," Eve leaned forward, turning the stone between her fingers. "Raven is the realm of thought and the realm of air, representing change and transition. Your lover is listening more to his heart and less to his head . Since ravens are represent the element of air, this implies a social connotation. You wish to move ahead and explore this new love. You long for the support of family and friends. You are also changing as is your relationship. It shall blossom."

"Eve, part of this makes perfect sense and the other half sounds crazy," Bella shook her head in amazement. "What you've said tonight describes what I've been going through for the past year."

"And you ache for him, don't you, dear?" Eve asked softly. "How many tears have stained your pillow for someone you thought that you never deserved?"

"More than I can count," Bella admitted, feeling the pain of need and denial rush to the surface.

"Then you have to ask yourself the question: is one man worth that much pain?" Eve scooped up the stones and dropped them into the bag.

"I just don't know what to say," Bella shrugged helplessly.

"Your heart will guide you to the right decision," Eve motioned to the frame in Bella's hand. "Is that the sentimental item I asked that you bring?"

"Yeah, I do." Bella clumsily brought out the picture of Edward carefully placing it in Eve's hands.

"Hmm, handsome." she nodded. "You know how to pick your lee-, I mean, men."

_How does she know?_

"I know many things," Eve murmured, as if reading her thoughts aloud. She turned back to Bella and handed her the picture. "Now, you and your vampire have a good chance at finding love with each other. But, remember, Bella, there are always other options. Sometimes a soul mate is an ideal, but the boy next door is a better choice because of reality."

"There is no other option," Bella stuttered, flustered by the psychic's far-too-insightful statement. "Only him."

"It shouldn't be a problem. I don't have to be a psychic to see that picture and know just how much he adores you. Treasure him if he is the one you want, but remember he doesn't come without a price. Is he worth it?"

"Always," Bella answered immediately.

"Just consider all of your options, Bella." Eve cleared her throat. "That will be fifty dollars."

"Of course," Bella pulled a fifty dollar bill from her purse, placing the crumpled wad in Eve's hand. "You earned it."

"You're the one who has to pay the price," Eve tucked the bill inside of her shirt, looking at Bella with sad, dark eyes. "I hope it's worth it."

**********

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Bella drove back to Forks, contemplating the amazing things Eve Black had told her.

Y_ou've seen magick haven't you, Bella. ...you need to get better at dealing with weird. Take love in whatever form it finds you... Once this person next to you lets things flow their natural course and opens his or her heart to love, barriers will fall. It will come when it is ready...you can have what you want, but there is always a price. It represent the death of the old and rebirth of something new. Then you have to ask yourself the question: is one man worth that much pain?"_

...

Bella realized she had been an idiot and hoped it wasn't too late. With newfound resolve, she promised to find the courage to give the answer to Edward that her heart demanded that she give. She didn't know how to get the word, 'yes' of her mouth to answer his marriage proposal.

She pressed the accelerator to the floor, urging the truck to faster speeds along the forested winding road to the Cullen home. With the passing of each moment, she felt the butterflies in her stomach flutter and her heart beat against her chest. She made her way up the stairs and saw Edward through the glass, waiting to greet her.

Edward opened the door and she rushed to be closer. "What is going on? What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Bella replied. _Just the opposite..._

Edward never took his eyes from her as Bella silently made her way with him up the stairs to the room, the faint strains of Debussy _Clair de Lune_ playing in the background. Bella was unusually quiet, and edges of anxiety swirled inside his mind. At the the top of the stairs in his room, he felt more comfortable in his home domain. Reaching in his pocket he found the heart-shaped charm that he had been keeping close to him for days.

Before she had a chance to deny him, he deftly slipped the small jewel onto Bella's charm bracelet. He had planned this night with every contingency in mind, yet, so much was uncertain. Alice hadn't been able to focus on Bella for a better part of the afternoon after the sparring with the werewolves and that worried him. He wanted this night to be perfect and romantic. Edward vowed that he would do whatever it took to win over Bella his way of thinking. He was made for loving her; it was the reason for his existence. There was no since living in a world without her in it and he wanted to be bonded to her in every way possible. He silently prayed to the Powers-That-Be that they would find mercy and grant him his heart's greatest wish. He hadn't been this nervous in almost a hundred years.

"It seems only fair that I be represented, as well," Edward rushed through the words as nervousness overwhelmed him. Looking expectantly at Bella, he intently studied her face, trying to gauge her reaction to his unexpected gift.

"It's beautiful. Thanks," she replied quietly.

Edward knew that if he still breathed, a sigh of relief would have escaped him. At least, she didn't refuse the token of his affection. Without the ability to read his beloved's mind and without Alice's guidance, he felt blind and awkward in his love for Bella. Yet, a smile found it's way to his lips, tugging at the corners at the acceptance of his gift. _How will she accept the next one?_

He followed Bella as she walked further into his bedroom. Her eyes widened slightly when she saw it, "That is a really big bed."

It was just any bed. It was a four-post black wrought iron bed with twinkling lights delicately strung along the top canopy, illuminating the gold embroidered bedspread in a dim glow. Edward remembered looking online at several beds, finding nothing good enough for what he had in mind. He wanted that bed to be their marriage bed, one day making love to his wife in it, once she was changed. He also thought that anything less than the best for Bella was a heinous transgression. He continued with the golden theme: golden twinkle lights, golden candlelight softly illuminating the room, golden quilted bedspread. He wanted Bella to accept the ultimate gold that he wanted so desperately to give her that he had kept in his pocket for days, just waiting for the perfect moment. Since it would arrive on its own, he decided to create it.

"I thought you might like one to sleep on," Edward shrugged.

"I think an air mattress would have done the job," Bella smirked. She sat down, testing the bounce of the mattress as he watched her.

"Too much?" Edward asked.

"Not at all," Bella smiled, studying the intricate embroidery of the imported bedspread. "It looks comfy."

Within a heartbeat, the mood changed. He saw an urgent expression cross Bella's features which worried him. When she wore that expression, things were rarely good. Edward braced himself for whatever denial Bella was about to give him. He grimaced, feeling his body automatically bracing itself for the coming rejection.

"I have a question for you," she started.

"Ask me anything-" Edward blurted.

Bella took a long breath, as if carefully picking her words. "Marriage is the stipulation for you to change me, right?"

Surprised by her unusual question, he couldn't help but smile. It wasn't rejection. A slow smile crossed his lips as he chose the best way to answer. "Yes,"

Encouraged by her question, he sat down beside her. Whatever Bella wanted, if it was in his power to bestow, he vowed she would have it.

"All right, I want to discuss my own condition," she said.

"Anything you want," Edward said. "Just ask."

"You promise?"

"Yeah."

Bella paused, taking several long breaths and licking her lips. Slowly she leaned forward, pressing her warm lips to his. Frissons of pleasure coursed throughout his body when her lips met his. Her lips brushed against his and the taste of honey and sunshine lilted on his tongue. He found himself drowning in her closeness, her love, and returned her kiss with greater freedom than usually allowed. She shuttered in his arms as she exhaled, shivering at his touch. Edward felt the seam of his jeans suddenly grow tighter.

"Bella," he groaned, forcing space between them when all he wanted was to be closer.

Eve opened her eyes to stop the vision of the two young people about to make love bathed in golden light. There were some things that she wasn't meant to see. This wasn't good. The visions that had haunted her for the past three days had finally come to pass and she knew now what she had to d Going to the phone, she began dialing the number of her cousin as she had promised to do five years ago when she had visions of the leeches coming to Forks.

"Uley residence," Sam answered.

"Sam, it's Eve. It's started."

Not the end...


End file.
